[accessibleimage] Re: tactile and auditory representations of neuroimaging data

Thank you, we?ll definitely get some sample images both to yourself and
Peter.
As we?re interested in highlighted areas of activity on brain activation
maps, I?m not sure a labelling system is what we?re after, so I don?t
think talking tablets are necessarily the solution?

The AGC looks really interesting ?does it give tactile feedback as well as
sound?

Although swell paper produces smooth lines, its very inconvenient as
images have to be simplified, photocopied onto paper which is then passed
through the machine, meaning we lose information, probably need sighted
assistance and the process is really time consuming.  It is for these
reasons I thought the tiger embosser may be more useful, as well as
producing higher resolution grey-scale images.
The thing I don?t really understand-besides labelling, is there an
advantage printing out a tactile image using a tiger embosser after it has
been converted to IVEO form, rather than simply printing a Jpeg file with
the tiger embosser?

As there are so many brain images generated, and a sighted person would be
able to scan through them to see which ones are relevant, it seems
slightly disadvantageous to have to print every single image out in order
to access it.  This is why we were investigating electronically
refreshable devices.

Many thanks

Nayab







> Hello Nayab.  Most of the members on this list know that I am also
> president
> of ViewPlus, so if you want to talk to the Tiger embosser manufacturer, I
> can help just a bit!
>
> I think you may not have a complete picture of the embosser and IVEO, so
> let
> me answer your questions in line below.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of N.Begum
> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 8:43 AM
> To: accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [accessibleimage] Re: tactile and auditory representations of
> neuroimaging data
>
> Hi John,
>
> Thank you for your email.
> We're currently trying to get samples of brain images to tiger embosser
> manufacturers to assess how much detail I can get from them, but this
> technology looks really promising.
> JAG: Well of course I agree.  As Chris Stevenson has pointed out, you can
> also use swell paper for tactile images, and the swell paper technology
> does
> have the advantage that it makes continuous smooth curves.  There may be
> instances where these are important, but the problem with swell paper is
> that it is really useful only for black and white images.  Tiger's 20 dpi
> printing can give all kinds of textures and patterns, and the embosser
> gives
> the user a lot of options, for example, printing color in the default
> "gray
> scale" format where dark colors are embossed with big dots and light
> colors
> with small dots.  You can also substitute patterns for colors, though I
> don't think this would be helpful for neuro images.  If you send me some
> files, I'll see to it that they are embossed and returned.
>
> With regard to the IVEO technology, we're not really sure how useful this
> might be, as I'm trying to find ways to access neuroimaging as
> independently
> as possible, and my understanding of the IVEO touchpad is that I'd require
> sighted assistance to assign labels and descriptions to an image.
> JAG: Well, yes and no.  IVEO will give you as much access to graphics as
> possible without sighted assistance.  But if there are images that just
> cannot be figured out with your fingers, well I don't know any other way
> to
> know what it is than to ask a sighted person.  The blind person can add
> his/her own labels, but if you don't know what some blob is, there is no
> technology on earth that will tell you.  At least none I know of.
>
> The VOICE software also sounds very interesting, and we'll definitely try
> this too, but I was just wondering how easy it might be to build up a
> mental
> image spatially.  With a line graph for example, is it possible to
> quantify
> or work out the scale, e.g.
> from the no. of seconds the tone sounds for.   We've also come across the
> Audiographing calculator-do you think this might be more useful to us?
> JAG: The AGC is, in some sense, a special case of VOICe, in which one can
> play a tone of a line graph.  AGC however has lots of user options for
> playing parts of a graph, getting coordinates at various points of the
> graph, etc.
>
> Also, do you happen to know how far research has managed to get in terms
> of
> producing tactile diagrams in real-time?
> JAG: Not sure what you are asking.  IVEO Converter can take any printed
> image or any electronic image and convert it to an IVEO file.  You then
> print that file and have access to it tactually and to any word labels on
> the graphic.  Is this what you mean?
>
>
>
> Many thanks
>
> Nayab
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> Hello Nayab.   The IVEO technology developed by ViewPlus and used with a
>> Tiger embosser has much of the functionality that you need.  Ability
>> to identify color and other image attributes is the subject of an IVEO
>> expansion research and development project that is now underway, and
>> it is working beautifully in our research applications.  The
>> commercial version is some way from introduction, but I'd be happy to
>> work with you basically as a participant in this development.  I
>> suggest you read over the info on IVEO on the ViewPlus web site, and
>> in particular read some of the research articles linked from
>> http://www.viewplus.com/abstracts/ to learn what IVEO is and can do
>> for you now.  Then please write me, and we can discuss the current
>> research project and how it might help solve your problems.
>>
>> Peter Meijer has also written about the innovative VOICe technology
>> that he has developed.  I'd be interested to know whether VOICe could
>> be used in combination with IVEO for things like neuro-imaging.  My
>> guess is that IVEO and VOICe would complement each other beautifully.
>> And I'll bet that Peter would be happy to help out.  Maybe he'd like
>> to comment.
>>
>> John Gardner
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of N.Begum
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 7:46 AM
>> To: accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Cc: barnesgr@xxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [accessibleimage] tactile and auditory representations of
>> neuroimaging data
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> My name is Nayab Begum, I'm a psychology student at Aston university
>> and registered blind.
>> I am hoping to pursue a career in neuroimaging, and currently trying
>> to find ways to make the technique more accessible.  This will involve
>> being able to access complex brain images in colour as well as graphs.
>> I was wondering whether anyone might be able to recommend the most
>> appropriate assistive technology for tactile diagrams?  We've been
>> looking into electronically refreshable devices, but there doesn't
>> seem to be anything on the market, and we're not sure it would provide
>> sufficient level of detail.  From our research, the most advanced
>> technology seems to be the tiger embosser, although this also seems to
>> have its limitations.
>> If anybody knows about the phantom device, and if it is sold in the
>> UK, that would also be very helpful.
>> Another option we're looking into is converting images to sound-does
>> anyone have any experience with this?
>> Also, for the data analysis, we use matlab and scientific linux.
>> We're in the process of installing Ubuntu to use the orca speech
>> software, but we're not really sure how much i twill be able to read.
>> If anyone has experience with using linux with a Braille note taker,
>> I'd also be really interested to know how compatible it is.
>>
>> We would be really grateful for any advice
>>
>> Many thanks
>>
>> Nayab
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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